Four Bagatelles

Four Bagatelles was composed in 1996 on commission from the National Competition for Music and Word Art in Flanders, Belgium. The work consists of four parts, each of which focuses on a specific group of percussion instruments. The first movement, “Allegro”, was composed for a percussion set-up and piano. It is characterised by the repetition and processing of short rhythmic fragments. The second movement, “Lento-Rubato”, was written for vibraphone and piano and has a melodic and improvisational character. The third movement, “Giocoso”, for marimba (or xylophone) and piano, has a light and playful character. The fourth movement, “Impetuoso”, for timpani and piano, is a rhythmic movement with various time signature changes and a cadenza for the timpani in the middle.